Flexible and extendible drill bit assembly

ABSTRACT

An extension assembly configured to permit a user to drill a hole through inaccessible areas in a wall is disclosed. The extension assembly includes a flexible, solid core rod having first and second ends and a holding means. The rod is configured to extend through a hole in a wall cavity and flex therein to position a tool bit at an inaccessible location in the wall cavity and permit a user to drill a hole through a substrate at the inaccessible location. The holding means is secured to the second end of the rod for releasably holding a tool bit for rotation with the rod and includes a sleeve adapted to slide axially along a body of the holding means between a secured position where a tool bit is securely held within the holding means and a release position where the tool bit is released from the holding means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of flexible drill bits usedto create extended length holes and holes through inaccessible areas inwalls and framing. More particularly, the invention relates to aflexible, extendable drill bit assembly that allows the use of a varietyof drilling heads and accessories.

Flexible, extended drill bits are widely employed to create a system ofholes within residential and commercial building construction for thepurpose of running extended wiring and cabling throughout the building.The extended length drill bits presently available are of a unitaryconstruction, requiring a user to purchase a drill bit having aspecified diameter for each individually sized hole desired. The drillbits come in various lengths which require a user to purchase a separatedrill bit for each specified length of a hole. Moreover, when thecutting edge is damaged, the entire drill bit must be replaced,incurring additional expense.

Accordingly, there is a need for a flexible, extendable drill bitassembly that allows the use of drill bits and other accessories ofvarious sizes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This need is addressed by providing an extension assembly configured topermit a user to drill a hole through inaccessible areas in a wall. Theextension assembly includes a flexible, solid core rod having first andsecond ends. The rod being configured to extend through a hole in a wallcavity and flex therein to position a tool bit at an inaccessiblelocation in the wall cavity and permit a user to drill a hole through asubstrate at the inaccessible location. The extension assembly furtherincluding a holding means secured to the second end of the rod forreleasably holding a tool bit for rotation with the rod. The holdingmeans including a sleeve adapted to slide axially along a body of theholding means between a secured position where a tool bit is securelyheld within the holding means and a release position where the tool bitis released from the holding means.

This need may also be addressed by providing a drill bit assemblyconfigured to permit a user to drill a hole through inaccessiblesubstrates in a wall includes a flexible, solid core rod having firstand second ends; and a quick-release head secured to the second end ofthe rod for receiving and securing a drill bit therein. The headincluding a sleeve adapted to slide axially along a body of the headbetween a secured position where a drill bit is securely held within thehead and a release position where the drill bit is released from thehead.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter that is regarded as the invention may be bestunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a user drilling an extended length hole through a wall;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a drill bit assembly;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the quick-release head of the drill bitassembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the quick-release head of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows two drill bit assemblies of FIG. 2 connected together;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a drill bit assembly;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section of a quick-release head of the drill bitassembly of FIG. 6 in a secure, closed position;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section of the quick-release head of FIG. 7 in anopen, receiving position.

FIG. 9 shows the quick-release head of FIG. 7 in the secure, closedposition;

FIG. 10 shows the quick-release head of FIG. 7 in the open, receivingposition;

FIG. 11 shows a drill bit assembly;

FIG. 12 shows the drill bit assembly of FIG. 11 in a secured position;

FIG. 13 is a cross-section of a quick-release head of the drill bitassembly of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a drill bit assembly;

FIG. 15 shows the drill bit assembly of FIG. 14 in a secured position;

FIG. 16 is a cross-section of a quick-release head of the drill bitassembly of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of a drill bit assembly;

FIG. 18 shows a drill bit of the drill bit assembly of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 shows an exploded view of the drill bit assembly of FIG. 18; and

FIG. 20 shows a drill bit assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now specifically to the drawings, a flexible, extendable drillbit assembly is illustrated in FIG. 1 and shown generally at referencenumeral 10. As shown, the drill bit assembly 10 allows a user to drill ahole through a wall to allow the user to run wiring and cabling.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drill bit assembly 10 includes a flexible,solid-core extension rod 11 to withstand the forces of drilling, atailpiece 12 secured to a first end 13 of the rod 11 and adapted to bereceived by a drill 15, and a quick-release head 14 secured to anopposing second end 16 of the rod 11. The tailpiece 12 includes a shank25 with a hexagonal profile to prevent slipping within the drill 15. Asillustrated, the first and second ends 13 and 16 are received by thetailpiece 12 and head 14, respectively, and secured by set screws 17. Itshould be appreciated that the rod 11 may be secured to the tailpiece 12and head 14 by any suitable fastening means, such as adhesives orwelding. Furthermore, the first end of the rod could have a hexagonalshape for being received by a chuck of a drill. A drill bit 18 isreceived by the head 14 and may be removed and replaced by another drillbit when the cutting edge is damaged.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the head 14 includes a body 20 having afirst bore 21 positioned in a first end 22 for receiving the rod 11 anda second bore 23 positioned in an opposing second end 24 for receivingthe drill bit 18. As illustrated, the second bore 23 has a hexagonalprofile; however, any suitable profile may be used. A spun-over sleeve26 is positioned over the second end 24 for releasing and securing thedrill bit 18 within the second bore 23. The sleeve 24 includes achamfered section 27 that abuts against the body 14 to retain the sleeveon the body 14 during use.

A spring 28 is contained between the sleeve 26 and the second end 24 tobias the sleeve 26 towards a securing position. A locking ball 30 ispositioned in a recess 31 of the second end 24 for locking the drill bit18 in the second bore 23. When in the securing position, the sleeve 26presses the ball 30 inwardly into the second bore 23 to hold the drillbit 18 in position. To release the drill bit 18, the sleeve 26 is pulledback towards the first end 22, thereby compressing the spring 27 andallowing the ball 30 to move outwardly from the bore 23 and into arecess 32 defined by the sleeve 26.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the drill bit assembly 10 may be connected toanother drill bit assembly 10′. As illustrated, the shank 25 of theassembly 10 is inserted into a quick-release head 14′ of the drill bitassembly 10′. By connecting multiple drill bit assemblies together, auser can extend the length of the drill bit for longer runs.

Referring to FIG. 6, a drill bit assembly is shown generally atreference numeral 100. Like drill bit assembly 10, drill bit assembly100 includes a flexible, solid-core extension rod 111, a tailpiece 112,and a quick-release head 114.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, like head 14, head 114 includes a spun-oversleeve 126 having a chamfer and a body 120 having a first bore 121 and asecond bore 123. The head 114 also includes a spring 128 and a lockingball 130. Unlike the head 14, head 114 includes a shield 140 and amagnet 141. The shield 140 is attached to a second end 124 of the body120 independent of the sleeve 126, FIGS. 8 and 10, and is adapted toprevent the sleeve 126 from being inadvertently pushed back towards afirst end 122 of the body 120 by a stationary object, which wouldrelease a drill bit 118 secured in the second bore 123. As illustratedin FIG. 9, the shield 140 has a diameter slightly larger than a diameterof the sleeve 126. The shield 140 may be integrally formed with the body120, secured by press-fitting the shield 140 onto the body 120, or anyother means for securing the shield 140 to the body 120.

As can be seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the head 114 operates in substantiallythe same manner as the head 14.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a drill bit assembly is shown generally atreference numeral 200. Like drill bit assembly 10, drill bit assembly200 includes a flexible, solid-core extension rod 211, a tailpiece 212(not shown), and a quick-release head 214.

As shown in FIG. 13, like head 14, head 214 includes a sleeve 226 havinga chamfer 227 and a body 220 having a first bore 221 and a second bore223. The head 214 also includes a spring 228 and a locking ball 230. Thehead may also include a magnet like magnet 141 in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Referring again to FIGS. 11 and 12, unlike the head 14, head 214includes a threaded nut/collar 250 in threaded engagement with threads251 positioned along the body 220. The collar 250 is positioned behindthe sleeve 226 to prevent the sleeve 226 from being inadvertently pushedback towards a first end 222 of the body 220 by a stationary object,which would release a drill bit secured in the second bore 223. Asillustrated in FIG. 11, when the collar 250 is rotated into a releaseposition, the sleeve 226 may be pushed back to allow a drill bit to bereleased. As shown in FIG. 12, when the collar 250 is in the securedposition, the collar 250 is positioned tightly against the chamfer 227of the sleeve 226, thereby preventing the release of a drill bit.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, a drill bit assembly is shown generally atreference numeral 300. Like drill bit assembly 10, drill bit assembly300 includes a flexible, solid-core extension rod 311, a tailpiece 312(not shown), and a quick-release head 314. As shown in FIG. 16, head 314includes a sleeve 326 having a chamfer 327 and a body 320 having a firstbore 321 and a second bore 323. The head 314 also includes a spring 328and a locking ball 330. Head 314 may also include a magnet like magnet141 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Unlike the head 14, head 314 includes a push button detent 352positioned on sleeve 326 for interaction with nut/collar 350. The pushbutton detent 352 may also be used to lock sleeve 326 in a securedposition directly. The collar 350 is positioned behind the sleeve 326and slidable along the body 320 from a released position, FIG. 14, to asecured position, FIG. 15, where a portion of the collar 350 is slidover the sleeve 326 such that the push button detent 352 engages areceiver 353 on the collar 352. When in the secured position, the collar350 and detent 352 prevent the sleeve 326 from being inadvertentlypushed back towards a first end 322 of the body 320 by a stationaryobject, which would release a drill bit secured in the second bore 323.

Referring to FIG. 17, a drill bit assembly is shown generally atreference numeral 400. Like drill bit assembly 10, drill bit assembly400 includes a flexible, solid-core extension rod 411, a tailpiece 412secured to a first end 413 of the rod 411 and adapted to be received bya drill 415, and a quick-release head 414 secured to an opposing secondend 416 of the rod 411. The quick-release head 414 has the samecharacteristics as the head 14. The tailpiece 412 includes a shank 425with a hexagonal profile to prevent slipping within the drill 415. Asillustrated, the first and second ends 413 and 416 are received by thetailpiece 412 and head 414, respectively, and secured by set screws 417.It should be appreciated that the rod 411 may be secured to thetailpiece 412 and head 414 by any suitable fastening means, such asadhesives or welding. Furthermore, the first end of the rod 411 couldhave a hexagonal shape for being received by a chuck of a drill. Asshown, a drill bit 418 is received by the head 414 and includes a shaft419 having a hexagonal profile, a spring 437 positioned on the shaft419, and a shield 431 biased towards the head 414 by the spring 437.

As illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19, the spring 437 is positioned on theshaft such that the spring 437 rests between a cutting edge of the bit418 and the shield 431 to allow the spring 437 to bias the shield 431away from the cutting edge and towards the head 414. The shield 431 ispositioned over the shaft 419 and has a first end 432 for engagementwith the spring 437 and a second end 433 for covering the sleeve 426 ofthe head 414.

A pair of grooves or holes 434 and 435 are formed in the shaft 419 toallow a retainer 436, such as a pin or clip or any other suitableretainer, to provide a stop for the shield 431. Groove 434 is positionedalong the shaft 419 such that the retainer 436 may be used to preventthe shield 431 from being pushed off of the shaft 419 by the spring 437.This would be the configuration used in FIG. 18. Groove 435 would beused in the case where the spring 437 is eliminated and only the shieldis used on the shaft 419. In this configuration, the retainer 434 wouldbe installed in the groove 435 such that the retainer 436 prevents theshield 431 from moving along the shaft 419 towards the cutting edge ofthe bit 418, thereby preventing the shield 431 from disengaging the head414 when the bit 418 is connected to the head 414.

Referring to FIG. 20, a drill bit assembly is shown generally atreference numeral 500. Like drill bit assembly 10, drill bit assembly500 includes a flexible, solid-core extension rod 511 and a tailpiece512 secured to a first end 513 of the rod 511 (not shown). Unlike drillbit assembly 10, drill bit assembly 500 includes a second tailpiece 537positioned on the second end 516 of the rod 511 for connection to drillbit 518.

As shown, drill bit 518 includes a quick-release head 514 having thesame characteristics as head 14 positioned on a shaft 519 of the drillbit 518. By placing the quick-release head 514 on the shaft 519 of thedrill bit 518, the sleeve 526 of the head 514 cannot be disengaged whendrilling a hole, thereby preventing the drill bit 518 from disengagingthe tailpiece 537.

A flexible and extendible drill bit assembly is described above. Variousdetails of the invention may be changed without departing from itsscope. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the preferredembodiments of the invention and best mode for practicing the inventionare provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for thepurpose of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An extension assembly configured to permit a userto drill a hole through inaccessible areas in a wall, comprising: (a) aflexible, solid core rod having first and second ends, the rod beingconfigured to extend through a hole in a wall cavity and flex therein toposition a tool bit at an inaccessible location in the wall cavity andpermit a user to drill a hole through a substrate at the inaccessiblelocation; and (b) a holding means secured to the second end of the rodfor releasably holding a tool bit for rotation with the rod, the holdingmeans including a sleeve adapted to slide axially along a body of theholding means between a secured position where a tool bit is securelyheld within the holding means and a release position where the tool bitis released from the holding means.
 2. The extension assembly accordingto claim 1, and further including a tailpiece secured to the first endof the rod, wherein the tailpiece is adapted to prevent slipping of theextension assembly within a chuck of a drill.
 3. The extension assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the holding means includes a bore forreceiving a tool bit therein and a locking mechanism cooperating withthe bore to secure the tool bit therein.
 4. The extension assemblyaccording to claim 3, wherein the sleeve is operably connected to thelocking mechanism such that when the sleeve is in the release positionthe locking mechanism allows the insertion or removal of a tool bit inthe bore and when the sleeve is in the secured position the lockingmechanism prevents the insertion or removal of the tool bit in the bore.5. The extension assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first end ofthe rod has a hexagonal profile for being received by the chuck of adrill, the first end being adapted to prevent slipping of the extensionassembly within the chuck during use.
 6. A drill bit assembly configuredto permit a user to drill a hole through inaccessible substrates in awall, consisting essentially of: (a) a flexible, solid core rod havingfirst and second ends; and (b) a quick-release head secured to thesecond end of the rod for receiving and securing a drill bit therein,the head including a sleeve adapted to slide axially along a body of thehead between a secured position where a drill bit is securely heldwithin the head and a release position where the drill bit is releasedfrom the head.
 7. The drill bit assembly according to claim 6, whereinthe body includes a first bore for receiving the second end of the rodand a second bore with an open end for receiving the drill bit therein.8. The drill bit assembly according to claim 7, and further including anoutwardly-extending shield disposed around the open end of the secondbore and adapted to prevent unintended contact against an axially-facingsurface of the sleeve.
 9. The drill bit assembly according to claim 6,wherein the sleeve is a forward biased sleeve positioned around the bodyadjacent to the second bore.
 10. The drill bit assembly according toclaim 6, wherein the sleeve includes a reduced-diameter chamfer disposedin abutting contact with a shoulder portion of the body, the chamfercreated by deforming an end portion of the sleeve over the shoulderportion of the body to retain the sleeve axially along the body.
 11. Thedrill bit assembly according to claim 6, further including a collarpositioned around the body and adapted for movement along the bodybetween a secured position where the collar engages the sleeve andprevents the sleeve from moving to the release position and an unsecuredposition where the sleeve is allowed to move to the release position.12. The drill bit assembly according to claim 11, wherein the collar isin threaded engagement with the body such that rotation of the collarcauses the collar to move axially along the body between the secured andunsecured positions.
 13. The drill bit assembly according to claim 11,wherein the collar is slidably connected to the body to allow the collarto move axially along the body between the secured and unsecuredpositions.
 14. The drill bit assembly according to claim 6, wherein thesleeve includes a ball-detent adapted to lock the sleeve in the securedposition.
 15. The drill bit assembly according to claim 14, wherein acollar is positioned around the body for engagement with the sleeve, thecollar including a receiver adapted to receive the ball-detent thereinand force the ball-detent into a locked position such that the sleeveand collar are locked in the secured position.
 16. The drill bitassembly according to claim 6, wherein the drill bit includes a shieldpositioned around a shaft of the drill bit.
 17. The drill bit assemblyaccording to claim 16, wherein the shield is adapted to cover the sleeveof the head and prevent the sleeve from being inadvertently moved fromthe secured position to the release position.
 18. The drill bit assemblyaccording to claim 6, wherein the drill bit includes a biasing means andshield positioned around a shaft of the drill bit, the biasing meansbeing adapted to bias the shield away from a cutting edge of the drillbit.